Blog

In August a gastro bug hit over 5000 people in the town of Havelock North. The town ground to a halt, with untold cost in pain and lost productivity. The Hastings District Council had to hand out $700,000 in rates remission and business support. Despite the protestations of the Government and farming lobby groups, it is now clear that this outbreak was due to livestock – most probably from the intensive feedlots upstream. After a long dry spell a large downpour gave the feedlots a clean, and washed the effluent into Havelock North’s shallow bore.

The amount people are borrowing for their first home has increased 43% in just the last two years. Even the most casual observer must see that as freaky. Labour has rightly warned of the growing risk being taken on by first home buyers, especially if the economy turns or interest rates rise. However on Morning Report yesterday Kim Hill drove a bus through the holes in Andrew Little’s response to the housing crisis.

Two weeks ago the Kaikoura earthquake caused billions of dollars of damage to buildings and infrastructure. Last week the Treasury’s long term fiscal forecast predicted that health and super spending will continue to rise, taking debt to 200% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2060.

We’ve been receiving a lot of policy ideas from our membership already; thanks for sending them through. We are developing a method for members to have an ongoing input into policy making, which we will announce in the New Year.

They say that it is rude at a dinner party to bring up money, religion or politics. Well, we want you to break that rule. As history has shown it is really hard setting up a political party. Reaching the 5% threshold is a huge challenge for newcomers. Even more difficult is the fact that we are trying to reach that goal on the back of evidence-based policy, rather than personality, polling and populist ideas.

Since the launch of The Opportunities Party some commentators have said we’re nothing but a one-man band. This couldn’t be further from the truth. For starters I have a great team with me; and followers of the Morgan Foundation may recognise some of them. But even more important than that, for our policies we draw on the evidence base. Starting from a base of science and economics, rather than polls and focus groups, means we access a wide range of expertise to formulate our policies.

He’s President now and the core question is will he be moderated or is it a case of what you’ve heard is what you’re going to get? A second order question – although first order for us in New Zealand – are any of Trump’s economic ideas relevant as a template for managing the NZ economy in the years ahead?

The reaction to the launch of the Opportunities Party has illustrated yet again that after 20 years of MMP we remain stuck in the same old two party, left and right system. People struggle to get their heads around anything different and the concept of a parliament working in anything but a deeply adversarial mode remains foreign.

I am pleased to announce the formation of a new political party: The Opportunities Party.

I know that as a country we are not fulfilling our potential, that with the right policies we can materially improve fairness, and give many more New Zealanders the opportunity to fulfil their aspirations.